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<blockquote data-quote="Aldarc" data-source="post: 7447889" data-attributes="member: 5142"><p>Have you read The Black Cauldron (book 2 of Lloyd Alexander's <em>Chronicles of Prydain</em>? The book has a fairly easy setup of the stakes as there are two objectives and each come with stakes and prices for success: </p><p>1) Find and Retrieve the Cauldron </p><p>2) Destroy the Cauldron </p><p></p><p>The Big Bad is basically producing undead minions via the Black Cauldron. The plot revolves around ragtag group of heroes retrieving this Cauldron and trying to destroy it for the sake of the war effort. Eventually they find the cauldron in the possession of witches who refuse to relinquish it without a cost. <strong>Stake #1</strong>: <em>What possession are you willing to sacrifice to retrieve it?</em> Everyone offers something of great value, which are all rejected up until main character realizes that he needs to pay with a deceased friend's brooch of oracles that he has inherited. He naturally does not want to give this up, but for the sake of the mission... </p><p></p><p>Then he learns how to destroy the Cauldron: One must knowingly and willingly crawl in the Cauldron to die. Now we have <strong>Stake #2</strong>: <em>Who will sacrifice their life to destroy the Cauldron?</em> You the GM control all the non-PCs. Could you have one of the NPCs do it? Sure. But where is the fun in that? </p><p></p><p>The victory conditions are fairly simple and the heroes winning is inevitable. But the unknown pertains to "who will pay the costs of victory and how?"</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Aldarc, post: 7447889, member: 5142"] Have you read The Black Cauldron (book 2 of Lloyd Alexander's [I]Chronicles of Prydain[/I]? The book has a fairly easy setup of the stakes as there are two objectives and each come with stakes and prices for success: 1) Find and Retrieve the Cauldron 2) Destroy the Cauldron The Big Bad is basically producing undead minions via the Black Cauldron. The plot revolves around ragtag group of heroes retrieving this Cauldron and trying to destroy it for the sake of the war effort. Eventually they find the cauldron in the possession of witches who refuse to relinquish it without a cost. [B]Stake #1[/B]: [I]What possession are you willing to sacrifice to retrieve it?[/I] Everyone offers something of great value, which are all rejected up until main character realizes that he needs to pay with a deceased friend's brooch of oracles that he has inherited. He naturally does not want to give this up, but for the sake of the mission... Then he learns how to destroy the Cauldron: One must knowingly and willingly crawl in the Cauldron to die. Now we have [B]Stake #2[/B]: [I]Who will sacrifice their life to destroy the Cauldron?[/I] You the GM control all the non-PCs. Could you have one of the NPCs do it? Sure. But where is the fun in that? The victory conditions are fairly simple and the heroes winning is inevitable. But the unknown pertains to "who will pay the costs of victory and how?" [/QUOTE]
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